Franklin County Fiscal Court denies rezoning request for 1550 Leestown Road

Frankfort — Franklin County Fiscal Court voted Oct. 11 to deny a rezoning request for property at 1550 Leestown Road, adopting Findings of Fact under KRS 100.213 and passing Resolution #37-2023.

On second reading, the court considered zoning changes that would have reclassified three tracts on the parcel identified as PVA Map #095-00-00-002.00: Tract 1 (27.04 acres) from Rural Residential (RR) to Rural Low Density Multifamily (RL); Tract 2 (1.73 acres) from RR to Limited Commercial (CL); and Tract 3 (1.48 acres) from RR to CL. The motion on second reading failed: Judge Michael Mueller voted in favor; Squires Sherry Sebastian, Kelly Dycus and Eric Whisman voted against; Squires J.W. Blackburn, Scotty Tracy and Richard Tanner abstained.

The court later amended the agenda to consider and establish Findings of Fact under KRS 100.213 related to the same rezoning application. Squire Eric Whisman submitted findings arguing that "rural residential zoning is an appropriate zone district for the subject property" and that the proposed RL and CL classifications were inappropriate for the parcels. The court voted to establish the Findings of Fact and approved Resolution #37-2023 denying the rezoning. Votes in favor were Squires Sherry Sebastian, Kelly Dycus and Eric Whisman; Squire Richard Tanner and Judge Michael Mueller voted in opposition; Squires J.W. Blackburn and Scotty Tracy were absent for that vote.

Why it matters: The rejected rezoning would have allowed multifamily and limited commercial uses on portions of a largely rural parcel along U.S. 421 (Leestown Road), which proponents said would facilitate development and opponents said would conflict with the property’s rural future-land-use designation.

What the court recorded: The record lists the tracts’ acreages, PVA map number and street address (1550 Leestown Road). The court framed the Findings of Fact under KRS 100.213 — the statutory process for land-use and zoning evidentiary findings — and memorialized the denial in Resolution #37-2023.

Votes and next steps: Because the court adopted Findings of Fact and a formal resolution denying the map changes, the county’s zoning map remains unchanged for the identified tracts. The court adjourned after taking the action; no additional remedies or appeals were recorded in the meeting minutes.

Speakers quoted or recorded in the meeting transcript are identified in the court record and appear in the court minutes. The denial and the Findings of Fact were recorded in the minutes as the final formal disposition on the rezoning request for 1550 Leestown Road.